The Most Unlikely of Friends
by TheLooneyBin
Summary: What happens when a young survivor encounters a very unlikely friend? A hunter who is actually willing to help a human survivor? Zoe will have to find out how this happened and why, while still trying to escape the city, and get to safety.
1. The Most Unlikely of friends Chapter 1

THE MOST UNLIKELY OF FRIENDS

Disclaimer: I do not own Left 4 Dead

I flinched as thunder boomed outside. But it was not the thunder I was afraid of. It was the silhouette illuminated in the lightning. The figure stood with broad shoulders at at least 6' in height. From my position on the floor I could see his companion shutting the door.

"Now what do we have here?" asked the big one, sending a chill through my spine.

"Looks like a little thief to me boss." Said the other, smiling a crooked grin, most of his teeth now missing.

The second one was much shorter, around 5'4" or somewhere in that area. The larger had breath that smelled strongly of cigarettes and alcohol, even at this time after the outbreak.

The larger of the two walked towards me, making me to crush myself even closer to the wall that I had my back to.

"No one steals from us and gets away from us that easy." Said the large one, his breath attacking my airspace.

"Look, I'm sorry, it was one can of beans. I'll give it back, just let me go." I pleaded, but the evil look in his eye told me I wasn't going to get out of this without a scratch.

"Little girl, it doesn't work that way anymore." He said, bringing a knife up to my throat and putting on just enough pressure to get his point across.

"Now what's gonna happen, is that I'm going to…" Before he could finish, a bloodcurdling scream was heard outside.

"One of those hunters ain't it Jeff?" Asked the smaller, "Yeah, prolly, don't worry about it." replied "Jeff".

But just as he turned to face me, the door exploded into a shower of splinters. And what followed was just as shocking. The Hunter we had heard came barreling in through the wreckage, plowing into the smaller of my attackers. They landed with the hunter on top, straddling him as he began to tear into him with his mutated hands which had grown claws thanks to the green flu epidemic.

The larger of my attackers sprinted to aid his companion, retrieving a baseball bat from off of the kitchen floor of the house I had run to. But as he brought the bat down towards its head he swiftly moved up an arm and caught the bat with a crippling force, stronger than that of any normal human. He ripped the bat from the grip of Jeff and used it to sweep his legs out from under him, his body hitting the tile floor, but thank god he broke his fall with his skull.

Rising from the floor, the hunter smashed his foot into the back of Jeff's neck, snapping it on impact. I feared I would be next in line. He turned to face me, but his next move was not the expected pounce and grab move, in fact I'd never seen a hunter kill a human and leave it without at least using his claws once. His next move was definitely a surprise. He reached up to grab the sides of his hood, and pulled it up and over his head.

From my still frozen position on the wall, I swear that my jaw may have literally hit the floor. Other than a slight grey tint to his skin, the claws, and the strange golden irises he had been given, he looked like a regular college boy who had just gotten out of bed. His messy brown hair and chiseled facial features would have placed him as an attractive boy too.

He approached me slowly, and even with his appearance I curled

myself into an even tighter ball if that was even possible. I couldn't reach my sidearm, which had been taken from me. So I could only wait for evident demise. I wish I could say that I got up and fought, but that isn't how this went. A tear fell down my cheek, and a sob escaped my lips. At this the hunter stopped his advance and continued to look at me. His lips moved as if trying to find a way to speak but he simply couldn't.

"Nnnnnnnnnn" Was the only thing he could get out, he focused for a moment and tried again this time forming something that could be made out.

"Nnnnnnoooooottttttt lllllliiiiiikkkkeee ooottthhheerrrs." He said, looking proud of himself.

He then looked at me and smiled at me, I was kind of conflicted on how to feel I was certainly comforted by him speaking, if not slightly disturbed, but the blood coating his sharp pointed teeth didn't ease the feeling of fear inside me.

Seeing my scared look he sat down, cross legged, right in front of me. I could see his navy blue, faded hoodie that he wore on top of the brown cargo pants that complimented the feel of the world now, dark, dull, and lifeless.

I loosened up and sat back again the wall and sighed. I looked back at him, he was still staring at me, his golden pools never lingering anywhere but my face. I thought of a few questions I could ask this domestic infected that sparked my interest. So I sat up and began to ask.

"Do you know any others like you?" I asked, because if he did, I had never seen them.

He seemed to consider this for a moment before slowly nodding his head, then looking back and giving an affirmative nod.

"Really? What kind are they?" I asked, intrigued by this whole new sub-species of infected that were docile. Well, I thought while looking at the corpses only a few feet away, almost docile.

He seemed very confused by my question, he looked at me and kind of did the half cocked puppy head thing and lulled his head to the side.

It was probably the funniest thing I'd seen since the world went to crap. I started giggling, thus making him cock his head to the side even farther, now I was outright laughing. He too, began doing a little laugh, but it wasn't rough or raspy like his voice, it rolled right off his tongue ever so naturally. I then regained my ability to speak.

"What's with the little head cock thing?" I asked, still giggling a little.

He then cocked his head to the side and yet again looked confused.

"That, that right there, are you like, confused when you do that." I kind of already knew the answer but I still had to be sure.

He nodded.

"Well," I asked, "what are you confused about when I asked about your friends?"

He seemed to think, tapping his claws on his chin, then he attempted to speak.

"Wwwhhhhaaatt ttyyypppe?" He said.

"Oh, you don't know what they're called." I presumed, "Well, what do your friends do?" I asked.

He shook his head and held up one finger.

"Only one friend?" I guessed

He nodded again. I was good at this, I should challenge someone to charades after this.

He then stuck out his tongue.

"Uh, does he have a really long tongue?" I asked.

And again he nodded

"Oh, we call those smokers," I stated, "and you, we call you hunters." I said.

I could almost see the gears turning in his head as he tried to understand. I tried to get his mind off of it.

"Do you have a name?" I asked, legitimately wondering the answer.

He vigorously nodded and smiled, "Naaame Lazarus." He proudly stated, smile growing ever larger.

"huh, fitting name, I'm gonna call you Laz, for short." I said.

He smiled even bigger, if that was even possible.

"Laz," I said, "consider your friend pool to be plus one from now on buddy" I said, at this he jumped up from his sitting position, I standing along with him, he then hugged me in a grip like a vice, so tight I couldn't get away. I'm pretty sure if he'd hugged me any longer I'd've snapped a rib.

This whole apocalypse thing just got a whole lot more interesting.


	2. The Most Unlikely of friends Chapter 2

THE MOST UNLIKELY OF FRIENDS CH. 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Left 4 Dead

I was sure I was dead, they had cornered me in the kitchen, nowhere to run. But Laz had come to my rescue. The strange infected that I would have thought would have left me for dead, had saved me. Now, we had left the house after taking anything we could salvage from my two assailants.

I now had a baseball bat, an extra sidearm and ammo, more food, a knife and some spare clothes. We walked down the desolate street, searching for any signs of the infected.

Laz tended to walk on all fours, sniffing the air occasionally. He would sometimes run ahead to scout out areas we could pass through. I would try to have conversations with him as we walked, to improve his english, but he seemed to like using facial expressions and hand gestures to display his thoughts.

Laz had just gone out to scout again and I had nothing to do, so I hummed to myself, waiting for his return. But just as I was finishing a terrible, out of tune rendition of Fall Out Boy, I heard a loud crash. Followed by a car alarm.

"Oh crap." I said out loud, to no one in particular, as the sounds of the hoard fell upon me.

Laz jumped from a rooftop to down where I was below.

"If you know how to fight," which was pretty evident, "this is the time to do it." I said, readying my bat, and loading my sidearms.

My only answer was a smile.

He stood to his full height of 5'5", baring his teeth and claws, ready for a fight. That was when we got one. The came pouring out of the woodworks, running out of buildings and down the street, crawling through cars and windows, they didn't seem to stop. I used my sidearms to pick a few of them off before they could reach us, but as they neared I drew my bat for a closer encounter, to save ammo.

Then they were upon us, Laz went into the masses, claws and feet flying. He had torn up nearly twenty before I had killed three. It looked like some sort of really messed up martial arts, while I just clumsily slung my bat around. That was when I heard the coughing. That definitely meant that there was a smoker around.

A common then jumped onto me, knocking me over and making me a target for the others. That was when a smokers tongue wrapped around the torso of the common responsible and yanked him away and back into the horde.

I jumped up, startled by the sudden events when Laz came through my vision in more of a blur than a person. He was ripping through the last of the remaining commons. Throwing them aside with each flick of the wrist, he then crouched and growled.

Looking at me.

He was in the air, headed towards me, that screech ever ear piercing, I ducked under his claws and rolled to the side as I saw him land on one of the stray commons who had somehow snuck up on me.

I sighed in relief as I realized that he was only yet again protecting me. My mind then regained its ground on reality and began thinking. Then it hit , that smoker that had saved .

Where was he? Why did he help me? Was that Laz's friend? As I looked up to find Laz talking and laughing with another young boy, his age.

The strange new boy looked at me, said something to Laz and then started towards me. I hoisted my bat onto my shoulder to attempt a look at intimidation. The strange new guy smiling at this. He reached me and held out his hand.

"Name's Alexander, Alex for short," He said, still holding out his hand.

I took his hand and shook, "Nice to meet you Alex, but if you don't mind me asking, what is your relation to Lazarus?" I asked, releasing his hand from my grip.

"Well," Alexander stated, "I'm his only friend, well until now I guess."

Taken aback by this, I looked at him confused. He couldn't be the smoker that Laz had talked about, he talked and looked just like a normal human, even more so than Laz. He talked smoothly and fluently, a small hint of a southern twang evident in his voice.

"Are you a smoker?" I asked

"Why yes, I am. Why do you ask?" Was my reply.

"You just don't look anything like one. Or talk like one. How did you learn to talk better than Laz?" I questioned

"Well, my appearance allowed me to approach other humans more frequently than Laz, in fact, even though he's saved many, you're the first that hasn't shot at him on sight. Despite the fact he seemed friendly. I simply learned from others, I pretended I was mute with my first two groups, until I had learned your language well enough to speak it." Said Alex

"Impressive,you learned an entire language in a short period of time? Are infected like really fast learners or something?" I prodded further

"Well, special infected, yes. Commons, not so much." Alex replied with a chuckle.

Alex's green eyes and black wavy hair set him apart from most normal boys, yet he still looked nothing less than human. He was always smiling, his green jacket accenting his eyes. His faded blue jeans were patched in places from continued neglect.

Laz walked over and began to speak.

"Need move, Zoey, Alex, need move now." Said Laz, me being utterly shocked by his sudden ability to grasp more words. I guess our little conversations had served a purpose.

As we began to walk towards the city, in search of an evac, I noticed that Laz would now walk like a normal person more often than not, and would also stick much closer to me than Alex, Alex taking point.

I was coming to like this little weirdo.


	3. The Most Unlikely of Friends Chapter 3

THE MOST UNLIKELY OF FRIENDS CH.3

Disclaimer: I do not own Left 4 Dead

Walking along the road we had stumbled upon a safehouse, we entered to find it void of life. We decided we would stay here for the night.

My eyes refused to stay shut for long, giving me a long and tiring night ahead. I shifted to look at the ceiling, listening to the steady rise and fall of the two infecteds' breath. I was plagued with the curiosity of how these two came to be, and I simply couldn't find a logical conclusion. Though not much made logical sense now anyways.

I shifted uncomfortably from my spot on the floor, the sound of a stray common staggering by outside. I lifted myself up from my pallet and walked over to the desk in the room, barely large enough for the bed and desk inside. I had let the boys have the bed, and they gladly took it. I sat down at the desk and began thinking. That's it. Simply thinking. I thought of my past life, before the green flu. Most of it was college memories of me and my roommate, Josie. We always loved to watch horror movies. We never thought we'd be in one. I was lucky to get off campus when the infected flooded the school.

My mind was also flooded with the memories of my parents. It had been so long since I had last seen them. Their faces were starting to drift away, their voices, their smell. I wanted to grasp those memories and keep the with me, but there was nothing I could do to keep the floating memories, lost to the green flu.

A small cry, shallow whimper escaped my lips as I began to tear up. I couldn't help it. I couldn't stand tall and strong any longer. the tears flowed freely down the side of my face, my cries ever so slowly growing louder. I didn't want to wake the boys so I held in as much noise as I could. I bit my sleeve, stifling the cries. I felt a sudden weight on my shoulders, wrapping me up. I buried my face into the sleeve of the newly awoken infected that had been concerned enough to comfort me.

I recognized the smell, the feel of this cloth. It was Laz. I looked up at him, the boy that was enveloping me in his large frame. Alex was still asleep on the bed. I shifted to where I could grasp his hoodie, wrapping my other arm around him and grabbing his back. I sank my face deep into his chest, slowing my breathing as he stroked my hair. I slowly calmed down enough to where I could stay sane on my own, pulling back to look at Lazarus.

"Thank you, Laz." I stated cooly.

"What friends for." the infected said with a smile.

The friendly infected scooped me up, bridal style and laid me down on the bed where he would have slept peacefully for another few hours if it wasn't for me.

"No, Laz. I'm not taking your bed." I said, wiping away the trail of liquid the tears had left on my face.

He shook his head and lay down on the pallet I had made for myself. Stretching himself out he finally had returned to the rhythmic breathing patterns accompanied by sleep.

Now more comforted I lay back my head and drifted into a melodious, weight-lifting sleep.

The next day I awoke to the sound of sizzling, and the smell of heaven on earth. I looked up to see the small door leading to the main room open. I walked through into the dingy little common room that didn't even have a couch, and was greeted by a salivating, smiling Laz.

"Alex find Bacon!" Said Laz, his smile absolutely huge at the words.

_Bacon._ I thought, salivating just at the thought. It had been a while since my last decent meal and Bacon was a great way to pick back up.

Laz trotted into the kitchen where Alex was working his magic at the stove.

"Morning, Zoe." He said, greeting me with a smile equivalent to that of Laz's.

"Good Morning. I heard there was bacon?" I said, now joining the smiling fools in there escapade to the table.

"Well you heard right, Zoe." He said, plopping down a huge plate of freshly cooked bacon, piled high with the extravagant meat.

There was at least 20 pieces total, which i knew would all be eaten, and we weren't going to be here much longer so he cooked it all. Plus, it would have gone bad if we had tried to take it with us. So we dove right in.

Laz, being the hunter and all, immediately took at least six pieces, stuffing three into his mouth at once.

"Okay you glutton, that's enough for now." said Alex, grabbing five slices and placing them on his plate.

I then grabbed some food for myself, laughing at the two's antics.

"Well, since we don't properly know each other, let's get to know. Alex, where are you from?" I asked, a small hint being his slight southern accent.

"Well," he said, "I'm from Savanna, Georgia."

Laz then spoke up saying, "I'm from here." gesturing to the air around him.

"Well I for one, am impressed on how Alex got here, and how much Laz has improved his speech." I stated

Alex replied with, "Well I walked here from Savanna, which is how I came to meet Laz." he explained, "I would have kept goin if I wouldn't have met this little Joker!" He finished with a laugh, punching Laz's arm."

"That's really cool," I said, finishing my meal, "but we might want to head for Mercy now, seeing that you guys have finished too."

"Well, the young lady's right Laz, we should be moving." He stated whilst standing from the table, pushing in his chair.

I stood, heading for the door, but Alex beat me to it, holding open the door for both me and Laz. I was becoming a fan of this whole southern hospitality thing.

Grabbing the shotgun leaned beside the door, which we had found upon entering the home, we walked out into the street, getting our bearings and heading towards the towering structure that was mercy hospital.

We had a long day ahead of us.


	4. The Most Unlikely of Friends Chapter 4

THE MOST UNLIKELY OF FRIENDS CH.4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Left 4 Dead**

_**POV CHANGE-ALEXANDER**_

As I and the other survivors, soaked in blood from our earlier encounter with a horde, continued on through the city.

We had just rested before in a safehouse, where Zoe had found a shotgun and some ammo. her backpack would be getting full soon, and we still needed to carry more for a group of three. We were beginning to run low on food and we hadn't even made it half of the way to mercy.

We were about an hour into our trek from the safe house before the first word was spoken by none other than Lazarus himself.

"We need find more storage." He stated, proud of his improving speech abilities.

It seemed that Zoe was in complete and utter agreement as she huffed and shifted the over-bearing weight on her back. Laz reached out and pulled on the handle of her tan bag, motioning for her to take it off.

She did as instructed and placed it in the hands of the ever so generous hunter who threw the pack onto his own shoulders. The pack was nothing to him, and he could give thanks to the infection for his amazing arm and leg strength.

We had come across a strange abandoned railroad station, with many of the trains still parked there. We slowly strolled into the yard, claws, weapons and tongue ready to strike. Laz had taken the front of our group, I the back and Zoe right in the middle.

We carefully checked each cargo car of the trains, hoping for any sort of supplies. But to no surprise they were all looted. We once came across a car covered in blood, and inside the blood was even worse, but what was most were the claw marks that had pierced the hull of the car, slicing through at least half an inch of metal. The glances we gave each other were enough to signal a 'get the hell out of here' mode.

We exited the car, not minding to close the door, and continued to the last of the few cars in the train yard. We approached them with a sinking feeling of dread that the whole journey had been for nothing.

That was when we heard shuffling from the last of the cars. We were immediately more alert, and ready for a fight.

"Zoe, go around the back, I'll get the front doors, and Laz go in through the access hatch on the top. Remember, do this quiet." I looked around, seeing the two nod I was satisfied and took my place at the front.

Laz pounced up to the top, quietly landing on all fours, while Zoe circled around to the other side.

I shouted "Now!" and the doors both burst open, a hunter falling in from the top.

We were greeted by a scream. A female scream. Laz was towering over something that was trying to push itself even deeper into the corner that it was trapped in. Zoe had her gun raised, and the small creature continued to whimper in its corner.

I walked over to the spot where Laz was standing and gently motioned him over to where I could see.

When I finally saw what we had found my eyes found themselves two times their normal size. it was a small girl, though she looked to be just out of her teens. Her skin was pale. Paler than that of any normal person's, but her hair was pitch black. A black that could suck you in like a void. She was quite beautiful actually, with her hair trailing down her shoulders. Her eyes were a pale blue that complimented her skin. I looked back to the group, who were still ready for a fight, and motioned for them to ease up on the weapons. They did as I asked and stared me down with a confused look.

I looked back to the girl, and put my hands up, slowly walking forward. I got close and squatted down to her height.

"Hi," I said, sticking out my hand and smiling, "my name is Alex"

She simply looked at my hand, and back to me, looking still just as scared. I withdrew my hand from her.

"Ok, well, um." I said, trying to find the right words, "These are my friends, Zoe and Laz, and we aren't gonna hurt you. Come on, get up now." I said, standing myself.

She seemed to relax, but just slightly. She slowly brought around her hands from where they were stuck behind her to push herself up.

That was when I saw her claws. They were definitely the claws of a witch, at at least five inches each. I visibly recoiled at the sudden realization that they had found yet another infected that seemed to be lucid.

She suddenly looked down at her claws, realizing her mistake she looked back up at me, fear creeping back into her features.

A terrified string of words poured from her lips, "Please don't hurt me, I swear I'm not gonna hurt you, I swear it, just please don't kill me!" She cried, so fast that i couldn't actually hear much of what she said, other than "please don't kill me"

I reeled at the thought, then remembered that to her, I was another survivor, out to kill all the infected.

"Hey, we aren't gonna kill you, look." I then rolled out my tongue, motioning Laz over to me.

I pulled my tongue back in as Laz came over. He removed his hood, revealing his golden eyes and grey skin, he then held out his hands, showing his claws.

I smiled, showing yet again that we meant no harm. I stood, watching as the expressions on her face changed from fear, to shock, to confusion. I gave a small chuckle at her confused expression. She looked kind of cute like that, her nose all scrunched up, her mouth slightly cracked open.

She slowly stood to her full height, which wasn't much to speak of. She was taller than the rest of the group, but she still barely reached my shoulders with the top of her head. She looked at Zoe and pointed.

"What type is she?" she asked, curiosity hidden in her smooth, rhythmic voice and almost grey eyes.

I responded, "She actually is a survivor. We're friends."

She looked me up and down, processing what I had said.

"Friends? With a human? Impossible. All they want to do is hurt us." She said, a defensive tone in her voice.

"No, she's nice really." I said, defending Zoe, but then she walked up to my side.

"Hi, I'm Zoe." She said with a smile, holding out her hand.

The witch looked from her hand to Zoe's, thinking.

"My claws will cut you. Aren't you scared of us, the infected, the things that could kill you at a moments notice?" She said, her eyes starting to tear up, her voice shaky.

Zoe looked at her and smiled, and gently placed her hand in hers, shaking it softly.

That was when the single tear rolled down her cheek, but she was smiling.

She turned to me, wiping at her face, still smiling.

"You were all very nice, but I guess this would be the time most people leave." She said, her mask of happiness faltering for a moment.

I thought about it and looked back at the group, who all looked saddened by her loneliness. I turned back to look at her.

"Not without you we aren't." I said, smiling at her.

She finally broke down, the tears flowing down her face freely, but they weren't tears of sadness or loss or pain or fear, They were tears of joy. I pulled her into my embrace and she buried her face as far into my chest as she could. And I let her, I didn't know about what she had done, or been through.

But no one deserves to be left behind.

**Authors note: Hey guys! Hope you like my story so far! I fixed the first chapter and that weird spacing. But I also would love to hear from you guys, so if you have any tips or suggestions I would love to hear em' so just send me a message and we can talk!**


	5. The Most Unlikely of Friends Chapter 5

THE MOST UNLIKELY OF FRIENDS CH.5

Disclaimer: I do not own Left 4 Dead

POV-ALEXANDER

"So," I said to the witch we had picked up only an hour or so earlier, " what's your name?"

There hadn't been much time for introductions, because we needed to get out of that train yard, a few stragglers were wandering a little too close.

"My name is Riley." She stated.

It sounded like a name that someone that looked like her would normally have, but she made it seem so unique. It was like she was wearing the latest trend but she wore it different in some little way that made it her own.

"That's a nice name. So how did you come to be here?" I asked, making an attempt at small talk.

"I was on a trip with my boyfriend up here in Pennsylvania." She said, and at this my heart slowly crumbled under that weight.

"Well where is he now?" I asked, the question only making me feel worse.

"That would lead to whole other story, but I will tell it to you. If you two will tell me one thing." She stated, gesturing to me and the curious hunter.

"Sure, what is it?" my sadness now being replaced with curiosity.

"How did you get infected?" She asked with a smirk.

I slightly recoiled at that. I had never talked to anyone about the terms of my infection, not even Laz. I could barely go over the story myself. Even Zoe seemed to perk up at the thought of figuring this out. Only Laz knew how it felt to be asked this question, for he had stopped mid-stride and his skin paled.

"W-well I uh," I started, "I was with another group before this, before I was infected. I and my friend Sarah had stumbled upon another friendly group consisting of a few people just like us. We had accidentally alerted the horde when one member of our group shot a car rigged with an alarm. The horde was brought down upon us in a terrifying force. I was grabbed by a smoker and dragged away." My voice was beginning to falter, "Everyone was separated, no one could help me, but Sarah had a rifle. She kneeled down and took aim, the smoker tore into my arm just as she fired off a round. She was mauled by a hunter after she shot." My eyes were brimmed with tears for the girl that had sacrificed herself for someone that didn't even live.

Zoe looked solemn, Laz simply thinking over the words. Riley just stared at me. I hadn't expected an I'm sorry from anyone. In fact I didn't want one, they hadn't done anything to make it happen nor could they have stopped it.

"I soon after forgot most of everything that had happened before the infected got me but began regaining my memory after about a month." I stated, finishing my story.

Laz then spoke up saying, "I was alone. No group. Couldn't make to safe room in time. Hunter got me in night." Though his motor skills were not the best, you could understand but I had a strange feeling that how he responded to the demand that he tell his story, there was more to the story.

I had no need to poke any further as Riley began to speak.

"I guess I would have to hold up my part of the deal now huh?" She asked with a sigh, "Me and my boyfriend Derek were resting on the docks of a lake when we were attacked by a horde. We attempted to take shelter in one of the old boathouses but we didn't hear the witch inside over the horde's screams. So, needless to say, Derek is not exactly my boyfriend anymore." She ended without even a hint of sadness in her voice, almost eerily calm about the situation.

The weight that pressed on my chest was slightly lifted by the fact that we wouldn't be bothering much with Derek anytime soon but still heavy of the fact that she had been infected by the hands of the witch, but I should have known that honestly. After all, Laz was a hunter, he was attacked by a hunter. I was a smoker, I was attacked by a smoker. Seems to be a pattern.

Her monotonous story had ended and she looked off and away, her mind drifting.

"So Riley, is it okay if I call you R?" Zoe spoke up, to which she received a nod. "Ok cool, so R. Did you and Derek travel alone?"

"Yes, me and Derek were alone. But soon after that witch had bitten me, a group of infected had taken me in to help them as a team to kill survivors. I left before I could be sent out to help kill anyone." She stated

Zoe, now intrigued, again asked, "So what were these infected like, because they must have been smart enough to conduct a plan."

Riley answered, "They were like Alex and Laz, not all the way infected, but not all the way human. stuck somewhere in a twilight zone between them."

This was getting a little crazy with how many infected were becoming like this. It could resemble a weaker strand of the virus, not being able to fully mutate its victim.

We all kept walking, no real destination for today, just a general direction. We stumbled upon a safehouse embedded in the wall of a factory. This room was actually made by the military for the sole purpose of staying for a few days and leaving, grabbing some supplies while there. This wasn't just a house with nothing of much use inside.

Zoe stocked up on ammo and came up with a drab green tactical bag for me. we had used these bags in the military while I was there at least. It could hold things in just about every area cloth touched, including the outside.

I grabbed a sniper rifle from the table and a magnum that was discarded off to the side and loaded them up, putting the extra ammo in my bag. I holstered the magnum and strapped on the rifle to give myself the use of my arms again. Riley and Laz stood off to the side while we grabbed weapons, for they didn't need a firearm. They had something on their arm.

We arranged all of the equipment and made sure the door was secure but we then came across a problem. There were only two beds.

This night might get interesting.

_**Author's note: **_**I have only received one review and it was a great review at that. but I would love to hear more from you guys it really helps. I want to personally thank you guys for all of your love and support for this story, a little patience too.**

**P.S. Ms. Talia, yes, those pairings will add up. I might see about a kitten though, sounds fun!**

_**-Seth**___


	6. The Most Unlikely of Friends Chapter 6

THE MOST UNLIKELY OF FRIENDS CH.6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Left 4 Dead**

POV: ALEXANDER

We all looked around, searching for nothing in particular as the two beds stuck out like a sore thumb. We had no materials to make a pallet on the floor and no one was sleeping on the concrete of course. An awkward amount of silence didn't help the situation. I immediately knew the girls would suggest girls and boys sleep together but there was no way I was spending another night with that hunter. He never stopped moving. I'm just glad Zoe took his place in the night for some odd reason.

"I am not sleepin' with Lazarus for one more night." I stated, earning a snicker from Zoe and a growl from Laz.

"Well the big puppy can sleep with me." said Zoe, shrugging.

"I am not puppy. I hunter." Said Laz, this time all of us snickering, other than Laz, who didn't get it.

"Well you doof, let's leave these two to their privacy." said Zoe with a wink.

Riley blushed at this, and I'd have to say I kind of did too but that isn't important.

Zoe shut the door to her and Laz's room, shutting us in together in the small, yet still nicely equipped, bedroom.

"W-well um, looks like we're sleeping together then." said a very nervous Riley.

"Yeah…" I said with a nervous laugh.

I shouldn't have been nervous but I was. I couldn't stop shifting my weight from foot to foot, rubbing the back of my neck, pulling on my collar. I barely knew this girl and she had me a nervous wreck. I decided that sleeping in my boxers as usual would be pretty unorthodox in this situation so I simply shed my jacket and decided to sleep in a t-shirt and jeans. Riley seemed comfortable in her tank top and shorts so she left herself as is.

I attempted some small talk, "So, uh, how old are you Riley?" I asked

"Oh, I'm, hm. Well I'm 21 now. You?" was my answer, and my question.

"Well I'm 20, 21 in two months." I said, though I wasn't really sure exactly what day it was, I could guess it was around August.

"Cool. How old are the other two, Zoe and Laz?" She asked, her posture clearly changing from nervous to interested.

"Well they're both 19 I believe. At least the last time I checked." I said with a chuckle, Riley giving a small giggle as well.

"They seem to like each other, don't you think?" She asked.

I had never really thought about it but the more I did, the more it made sense.

"Wow, you're right. I think they do now that I'm thinkin' about it." I responded

We shared another laugh, another good memory that i could keep. I studied and remembered every detail of her laugh. The light giggle she made that would make the biggest man melt. The way she moved bit her lip as her laugh slowly died out of her throat. The way she brushed her silky black hair out of her face where it had been jostled loose by the tremors that her laugh brought. I took in every detail. She reminded me of a quote that I heard in English class while I was actually paying attention for once in college.

_For thousands of years I stood, and I have not faltered. The day I met you, my legs shook._

It was true. I was a marine, I was supposed to be the toughest of the tough, I stood tall and did not quake when live fire was in my midst. But if I saw her, I trembled. Every man has a weakness, and I just found mine. I thought I was invincible but I couldn't hold up against the tremor that followed simply the sight of her.

I tried to clear my head as I crawled into a bed with the girl that broke my invincible wall. I was lost in my thoughts so far I barely heard the slight, "Goodnight" from my side.

"G'night" I responded as I closed my eyes and let the darkness of sleep envelope me.

I woke to an empty bed, the covers thrown off of my opposite side. I crawled out of bed, stretching my aching muscles and yawning. I walked into the main room.

"G'mornin' Everyone." I said with a yawn.

"Good morning." Was my reply from two voices, one of three absent.

"Uh, guys. Where's Laz?" I asked, but my question was soon answered.

Laz walked out of the bedroom he had stayed in moaning and groaning. he gave no vocal greetings and simply plopped himself in a chair, pulled up his hood, and drank a mug of black coffee that had been waiting for him. I sat opposite of him on the circular table, grabbing my mug as well. We had no cream or sugar so we all simply had black coffee.

I took a sip from my mug.

"So Laz, not a morning person eh?" asked Zoe. Her only response was a low growl and another sip of coffee.

Zoe shrugged and returned to her coffee.

Several hours later we decided to gear up and move out. Everyone strapping on backpacks, guns, and other various items. Laz finally deciding to become more than that statue like shell he had taken on earlier. We exited the room, me and Zoe sweeping the immediate area with our guns before moving out of the doorway to allow exit for the other two. We made our way down the street before several miles later, we found a warehouse type building. There seemed to be no way around this building, only through, so we timidly opened the door.

I looked back at the group.

"Are we sure this is a good idea ya"ll?" I asked the group as a whole.

What unsettled me more was that I got no answer, only nervous looks and a shrug.

I slowly pushed inside, one hand grasping my magnum and swinging it back and forth. The other holding the door for the rest of my group to enter behind me.

As they all filed in I shut the door and kept out a good eye for anything that could even resemble a threat to my friends. I soon started to follow the three others, a single file line with the gunmen in front and back. Laz soon stopped walking all together. he removed his hood and looked around, his ears twitching. I knew what that meant.

"Everyone quiet, he heard something." I said as we all fell silent.

"Voices. Voices inside." Lazarus stated coolly as he replaced his hood.

We all tensed and shifted into a circle, all looking and listening. Laz crouched low to the ground and stalked off quietly. The only sounds he made being growls.

"I-I think I hear them too." said Riley, her body shaking.

Riley pulled herself back together as the metallic clang of footsteps sounded on the catwalks. I heard one set of steps, two, three. How many were there? Two more sets of footsteps came from the concrete, one definitely being a larger one. That made five.

"Uh, Riley. How many people did you say were in your old group?" I asked

"5" was the short answer I received.

The footsteps stopped and the small row of dim lights across the ceiling began to cut out until one remained. Two figures crawled into the light on all fours like a hunter, yet they seemed human but I shouldn't be so soon to guess. Two walked over, taller ones. Yet that accounted for four pairs of footsteps. Where was the fifth?

My question was soon answered when a large brutish figure loomed out of the shadows to stand at the back of the group. he was at least 7 ft. tall if not more. his arms reached nearly to the ground, though lanky was not the word I would describe him as. he was missing his shirt, revealing his dark and scarred skin. My first thought was Tank of course, No human would look like such a monstrosity.

Riley stepped towards them, I tried to grab her shoulder but she removed my hand and kept walking. I removed my rifle from my back and trained on the group, i kept it to where I could see any move they tried to make. Riley was now very close to them.

She spoke, "Hi Bruce. Josh, Cal, Sydney, Sarah." She acknowledged them all, none of them faltered.

"You see we just need to get through this building and we'll be out of here you see." They snickered at this.

"Not today Riley, we kind of need the food, and we simply just hate you too." Said the large one, whom I had guessed was Bruce. But hey, what did I know?

I noticed that one of the hunters. Or, Huntresses? Was gone a second too late as a heavy weight pounded into me, throwing me down and sliding my rifle away. everything sprung into action as another hunter whom we knew by the name Laz pounced on the hunter, I had confirmed, that was on top of me. they rolled away to wrestle as i drew my sidearm and began firing at the three who seemed to be staying back farther. i realized my mistake when a smoker's tongue wrapped around my waist. the smoker soon realized her mistake as I looped my overgrown appendage to her as well and heard a small gasp escape her lips as we got into a basic tug of war challenge.

That's when I got a little smart.

I grabbed her tongue and pulled as hard as I could, yanking her off balance and allowing me to pull her towards me with my tongue. She sailed towards me as her feet lifted off the ground. She landed head first on the concrete floor in front of me as I released her and let her slide past me. She came to a rest and didn't move to get up.

I turned with my sidearm drawn as yet another crushing feeling hit my chest. this was the huntress I had seen. I pulled up my arm and pressed the barrel to the side of her head. As I pulled the trigger and turned my head I heard a soft _click. _This was not good at all. I looked over to see Laz tangled up with the hunter, Riley was on the tank's back clawing at his chest, and Zoe was in the back firing away. That was the first time i actually looked up at the huntresses face. She wasn't growling or snarling. My eyes widened at her appearance. Strands of her dirty blonde hair fell into my face, the blue dye on the tips fading. Her eyes were just as wide as my own as we both sat there like idiots staring at each other.

This was…

"Sarah?" I asked in a soft voice.

the words escaped my lips like a ghost, which she must have been. I saw her die out there on that street as the other survivors fled and left us for dead. Her lips moved but no words escaped them. I was going to ask her more questions as I realized that we were still in a battle. I loaded my sidearm and fired at the hunter on Laz, it distracted him enough that laz could use his legs to kick this stranger of of him, sending him flying to the other side of the room. Laz gave the thumbs up but soon realized I was pinned. He growled.

As I was going to warn him off, a great cracking sound was heard from the roof. I got up, pulling up Sarah as we watched a great portion of the roof fall. It fell in slow motion. i saw Riley, on the other side of the room try to run to us as she was grabbed by a smoker. I almost tried to run to her, but soon realized it would be suicide. I jumped on Sarah, covering my head with my arms and making a shield over her body with my own. the dust and grit from the rubble hit my back with such a force I was almost blown off of her. As the dust settled I saw Laz and Zoe, Laz getting off of Zoe and pulling her up, as I did the same for Sarah.

I turned towards the mass of concrete and rebar and ran at it. I slid on my knees as i began to remove rubble and rocks. A small tear ran down my face, soon followed by a sob. I felt a hand on my shoulder as my hands fell to my sides. i began to cry as hard as I had ever cried.

I had left Riley out there.

I screamed through the rubble as the tank's footsteps lumbered farther away.

"I'm coming back for you! Don't you worry girl! I'll be back for you!" I screamed, my voice shaky and uncertain.

I pounded my fists on the ground as another two hands joined the first.

I couldn't leave her out there.

Like I said before.

No one deserves to be left behind...

_**Author's Note: Hi guys! It's me again! I'm enjoying the fact that so many people love this story! I set up a poll on my profile, so if ya'll don't mind checking that out that'd be great. It relates to my story so I think it might grab your interest. I am not thinking of stopping this series anytime soon, I'm just getting a little slow**_

_**Love you guys! Bye!**_

_**~Seth~**_


	7. The Most unlikely of Friends Chapter 7

**Hi guys, been a while hasn't it? Well I told you I'd eventually get back to it, and so I did. Hope I didn't take too long haha. Enjoy**

**POV: Riley**

Was I scared? I couldn't say otherwise. I was thrown over the shoulder of a behemoth being carried away from the only real friends I'd known since the whole world fell to pieces. So yes. I was scared.

I was wondering why they saved me. The smoker pulled me away from certain death had I run underneath the collapsing ceiling. Though at this point I wasn't really sure what fate I preferred. My wrists were red and swelling from the material they had used to bind them, the corners of my lips in no better condition from what felt like a bandana they had tied around my head, gagging me. Did I mention in was blindfolded as well? Yeah, I was scared.

I heard bits and pieces of conversation, but I wasn't really listening. My only thoughts were the last words I'd heard from my friends. Especially Alex.

_I'm coming back for you, don'cha worry girl, I'll be back for you!_

I had to believe him, I had to hold onto that, and most of all. I had to stay alive.

Suddenly the brutish thing under me set me down. The floor under me was dirt, I could tell that much. Though that didn't sit quite right with me, I was relieved to be back on the ground at the cloth gag was taken out of my mouth and I fought the urge to scream. I knew all it would do was make them put it back on. My blindfold was removed as well.

I was preparing myself to see a bright light when they took my blindfold off but I was greeted by a very dark surrounding. Now that I was thinking about it, my skin began to feel cold and clammy as well. The binds on my wrists stayed in place making me whimper as pain shot up my arm every time I moved my hands. I looked around to find who had removed the two objects from my face and found a lone hunter standing in the darkness. It was Callum, the only male hunter in our group. Sarah was the only huntress. Sydney and Josh being male and female smokers. Then there was Bruce. Bruce was unique. The only humanoid tank we'd ever seen. he was a college football player before the outbreak. He brags that not much about him changed, though I highly doubt it. Callum spoke.

"Nice to see you again, deserter." The words were like venom spilling off his lips.

"I left for a reason. Wanna tell me why you brought me back?" I asked.

"Not really." he smirked, then he walked off, leaving me bound in the darkness.

Oh I wonder where my friends are.

**POV-Alexander**

It had been 7 hours 23 minutes 40- 41- 42 seconds since I had lost her and counting. I was so stupid, I should have done something, anything to stop them from taking her. There was nothing I could do about that now but get her back, so here I was walking the street, rifle in hand, friends at my side and Laz sniffing out Riley's scent. I didn't let my group know it, but I was scared. Scared for Riley, scared for my friends, scared we wouldn't make it to mercy before it was too late. I felt responsible for the small group of mismatched individuals. If anything happened to them, I would feel completely and utterly in wrong. Just like now. My heart was heavy and my legs even heavier after the hours of walking we'd done. Sarah had been relatively quiet the entire time we'd walked, Laz was silent as always, but Zoe, she was quiet too, uncharacteristic of her. I guess I wasn't the only one who was feeling down.

"Let's stop here for a while." I said, lowering the pack off of my shoulders.

I didn't want to stop but we'd never get to Riley if we couldn't walk. I heard a relieved sigh from Zoe as she too lowered the backpack off of her back. Laz seemed less than worried about stopping. He sat on the curb of the street, leaning back on his arms. Sarah also seemed to be in an infinite loop of energy, her body not seeming to need the rest. I guessed it must have something to do with being a hunter. I looked at the apartment building behind us, the windows boarded up and the doors as well. I looked at Sarah, remembering some of her talents from back when we traveled together.

"Sarah, think you can get that door open?" I asked.

She turned to inspect the shoddily covered door, "Broken or in tact?"

"In tact would be preferred." I said with a smile.

She smiled back before walking to the door. She grabbed the plywood plank covering the entrance and ripped it from the doorframe, nails tinkling to the ground. When she tried the handle on the door it proved to be locked.

She sighed in frustration, "This might be loud."

Laz and Zoe covered their ears as she turned to her left and kicked the door with her right foot. The door's knob busted inwards and the door's lock was ripped from it's hold, the door swinging open with a loud crack and splintering of wood. She dusted her hands and gestured inside.

"Ladies first." she said in a mocking tone.

I smiled a bit as I stepped inside, "You guys stay out here for a bit, I'll check it out first."

I waked in, magnum drawn and looked to my right and left as the foyer opened up into a small kitchen and living room. I kept a keen eye out for any movement as I cleared the two rooms and proceeded up the stairs. When my feet cleared the wood stairs and met carpet once more there were two rooms on either side of the hall. One of the doors opened to reveal a bedroom. I walked to the open door, the first one on my right. I peeked in and saw nothing of interest. I moved across the hall and placed my hand on the knob. As I twisted the knob and felt the door begin to open the door stopped. I shoved the door a bit harder and felt the thing move a bit out of the way. I pushed once more and got the door opened enough for me to slip in through.

I placed my first combat boot through the door and into the bathroom. It was mighty dark in the tiled room, containing a shower and a toilet, a sink and not much else. I reached into my jacket's pocket and pulled out my flashlight, clicking on the light. I skimmed the room with my light and saw specks of blood covering the shower, thickening as I crushed over the sink. I felt my foot step in something wet, and sticky. I pointed my flashlight at the ground and lifted my boot to find the bottom covered in blood, the floor as well. I gulped down my fear and closed the door behind me to get a better look at the room. I heard a thud from behind e and whirled to look at it. On the floor, blocking the door was the body of a young woman, no older than Zoe. The wall beside her was covered in blood and flesh and chunks of bone.

My stomach turned a flip and my gag reflex activated, making me almost puke. I turned my head away for a moment and retched, gagging on the sudden stench that hit my nose. I looked back at the woman, whose black hair was now painted with red, one side of her head having a tremendous hole in it. I looked her over more closely, seeing in her right hand a glock. I saw it now, I saw it replay in my head what happened. This girl was here, alone, maybe bitten maybe just terrified and she had taken her own life. This only went to remind me what kind of world we now lived in. I crouched down in front of her and reached up to her face. I closed her eyelids and closed my own eyes as well, the stench of rotting brain matter overwhelming but not so much that I couldn't pay respects to her. I picked up her limp body and held it in my arms, placing her in the shower. I moved to the sink and washed off my hands and arms of her blood and grabbed a rag. I was glad the water still ran in this part of town, in some it had failed.

I wet the rag and went to work, wiping up blood and re-wetting the rag. I repeated his several times until most of the blood was gone, as much as one rag would get anyways. I tossed the rag into the sink and closed the shower curtain. I exited the room quietly and walked downstairs, back into the street. It had begun to fall dark and I ushered them inside, closing the door.

"What took you so long?" asked Zoe.

"Nothing, just-don't go in the upstairs shower." I said, trying to sound calm.

"Alright, whatever you say."

I placed a small table against the door and walked to the couch in the living room. I heard chatter in the background as I went to lay down, but it all washed over me as I fell asleep immediately after letting my head hit the pillow.


	8. The Most Unlikely of Friends Chapter 8

**POV: Zoe**

I was awoken by the resonating crack of gunshots. They were far off, the report echoing throughout the city's buildings. I was surprised I'd woken from such a faint sound, but I had been a bit on edge lately. I slowly sat up in the queen sized bed we'd found, looking to my right to fnd Sarah sound asleep. I carefully swung my legs over the edge of the bed and tried to get up without causing too much of a disturbance.

I guess the decompression of the bed must have been enough to wake Sarah, "Where you going?" she asked, her voice sounding nowhere near like someone who'd just woken up.

"Gonna go sit downstairs, come?"

Sarah shrugged and threw the covers off of herself, standing and walking with me down the houses small flight of stairs. The step second to last creaking under each of our weights.

As we transitioned from wood to carpet and left the strange lingering smell of the upstairs rooms, I looked to my right and saw Alex sprawled out on the couch, and Laz, curled up like a puppy in the room's chair. I stifled a laugh and pointed out toLaz when Sarah looked at me questioningly. She chuckled softly to herself before turning toward the kitchen. And going to raid the cabinets. Sarah was my height at 5'5" so she did have some trouble reaching the top cabinets. She was able to get there standing on her tiptoes though. I smiled as I watched her stretch to grab a can of pork n' beans. She dropped back flat on her feet and used a claw to pry open the lid. Without heating up the can she downed the contents and chunked the can.

"That can't taste good." I whispered.

"Better than going hungry." she whispered back.

I gave a crooked nod of thought before grabbing my hoodie and holstering my sidearm.

"Again, where are you going?" she asked in a frustrated tone.

"Just follow me." I said with a roll of my eyes.

She sighed but followed anyways when I slipped on the grungy red hoodie and quietly slipped out the door into the chilling autumn night. Sarah walked outside and replaced the small plank of wood we'd propped against the door to keep it closed since she'd busted the knob. I walked over to the building's wall and jumped up, grabbing hold of one of the bricks. And pulling myself up to the next handhold I could find.

Sarah was suddenly right next to me on the wall, moving up as I did.

"So, you and that other hunter like each hunter huh?" she asked with a playful lilt to her voice.

"What, No!" I said defensively before moving up once more.

"You two are so obvious, just say it." she said back.

"I'll admit I had some...interests." I said, grunting as I leaped and extended my arms to grab hold of a pipe on the exterior of the building.

Sarah shuffled across the wall and quickly positioned herself next to me again.

"That can be taken in many different ways Zoe."

I chuckled, "Ok if all you were gonna do was try and give me relationship advice I don't even know why I invited you."

"Oh well that just hurts."

I laughed again, harder this time. As I went to grab my next handhold after shimmying up the pipe, the brick crumbled under my fingertips and my hand fell before I could grab another handhold. I was still holding onto the pipe but I had no grip so my hand slipped from the metal and I was falling. But then I wasn't. I had my eyes squeezed shut when my body jerked to a stop and when I opened them I was no less than 5 ft. from where I'd initially fallen. Looking down on me, upside down on the wall, was Sarah with a handful of my hoodie bunched up in her right hand.

"Maybe I should just carry you up?" she asked with a playful smile.

I exhaled in relief before speaking, "Let's just do that."

Sarah kept a handhold on me, chuckling as she turned right side up and heaved my weight up to her with ease. She moved me up to her back where I latched on and didn't let go until we'd reached the top.

"So we went through all this trouble to get you up here, now what?" she asked

"Sit." I responded simply before sitting and hanging my feet over the edge of the building.

"Sounds simple enough, I like it." she responded, sitting next to me.

I've always found it beautiful up here you know? Not this particular building just, above it all. Almost like you can see everything from up here. Queen of the world." I chuckled to myself, looking out over the city's skyline, Mercy Hospital rising above all else in the center of the city.

"So I take it you've known Alex quite a while?" i asked, turning my head to face her, a gentle breeze knocking some strands of my hair loose from behind my ear.

She chuckled, "That's one hell of an understatement. Known him my whole life. We grew up in Georgia together, down in Savanna. From younguns we were friends immediately, and from there our friendship grew with us."

I smiled at her, her blue and fading kool-aid tips swaying in the wind, "Sounds fun down in Georgia. What did you guys do for fun down there, I mean all I've ever heard about you are all the normal stereotypes" I transitioned to my best redneck accent, "'ya'll sum cuntry folk and all dat jazz'" I said, chuckling to myself.

Sarah laughed, "That's about the worst impression I've ever heard! Jeez where'd you learn about southerners, a comedian?"

"Nope, from the bar down the street from my college. Apparently they aren't exactly the most reliable of sources."

"You're just now figuring that out?"

We shared a laugh and sighed as the sun began to brighten up the very fringes of the horizon, the entire sky becoming seemingly more alive, the few scattered clouds that hovered above them disappearing as if to allow the sun entrance, the stars fading as the light came.

"I never realized there were so many stars. Too many city lights and hustle and bustle."

"Oh you've never seen a Georgia night sky, there are some night, at just the right time, where if you go into just the right field, you can look up and see the milky way. It really is beautiful back there, I only wish I could see it one more time." Sarah said, her voice trailing away with her thoughts on her last words.

"That must be amazing…" I said, imagining the glory of the sight.

She nodded in concentration and drifted away into her own thoughts. We sat there for a while and got lost in our own heads, the stars each starting to slowly fade away, the black of night becoming softer and softer until a dull glow could be seen in the horizon.

I sighed and we watched the sun rise over the city of Mercy, the buildings silhouetted in the sun's rays. I of the two still in the house, and the one out there somewhere in this desolate wasteland of a city. Sarah gave off a sound similar to purring and I looked to my left to notice her standing in a beam of sun that had reached the roof. I chuckled at the sight to which she just gave me a sidelong glance. I basked in a ray that fell upon me moments later, bathing in the early morning glow. After a few minutes of this I looked over at Sarah, to which she nodded towards the ground. I nodded and slid myself over the edge of the roof, grabbing onto a drainage pipe and sliding down to the nearest window ledge. I let myself fall before grabbing the ledge and lowering myself to a foothold and climbing the rest of the way down.

I softly moved aside the plank and slipped inside after letting Sarah through. We snuck past the two sleeping boys and into the bedroom upstairs, slipping off our clothes and making small talk until we heard the boys stir downstairs.


End file.
